Improvement in steam-pumps and fire-engines



JAMES WLWHETA KER.

improvement in Steam-Pumps and Fire Engines.

Patented June 13, 1871.

' aiiitmsm ATE' rrron.

" JAMES w. WHITAKER, or Knnosnir, Wisconsin.

iMPFlOVEMENT IN STEAM-PUMPS ANDiFIRE-ENGINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 115,918, datcdJnnc 13,1871.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES W. WHITAKER, of Kenosha, in. the county ofKenosha and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and ImprovedSteam-Pump and Fire-Engine; and I do hereby declare that the followingis a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enableothers skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being badto the accompanyin g drawing forming part of this specification. i

This. invention relates to improvements in engines for raising water inavacuum formed by filling a cylinder or other chamber with steam andcondensing it; and it consists in the construction and arrangement ofcertain parts, as hereinafter shown and described, in connection withothers "necessary to perfect the operation of the engine.

Figure 1 is an end elevation of my improved engine. Fig. 2 is alongitudinal sectional elevation of Fig. 1 on the line :0 a:. Fig. 3 isan elevation of the condensing-chambers with the front plate andattachments removed. Fig. 4 is an inside view of apart of the frontplate, shpwin g also the floats for shifting the steamva ve.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

A represents a case, of any kind, containing two compartments orchambers, B G, for receiving water through the suction-pipes D E, havingcheck-valves at F. The water is to be forced out of these chambersthrough a pipe,

G, in each, into a water-tank, H, and thence through the nozzle I, towhich the hose-pipe is to be attached in case the engine is employed forextinguishing fires. This watertank, with the discharge water escapingthrough'it, is considered to be very advantageous in simplifying themeans of injecting the water for condensing the steam, and effecting thechange from one condenser to another, which is accomplished by pressureof the steam when admitted to the filled chamher, as will presentlyappear. The steam for effecting the expulsion of the water entersonechamber at K and the other at K from a steam chest, L, having anordinary reciprocat= in g piston-valve, which is shown dotted in Fig. 1,and to which the steam is admitted from any source by a pipe, M, and theexcess of steam over the atmospheric pressure is exhausted through pipeN, which has a checkvalve at 0, which closes as soon as the said excesshas escaped, and retains steam in the chambers equal to one atmosphereto be condensed to form the vacuum to be filled with water. by steamtaken from pipe M through the branch P to the four-way cook or valve Q,and thence to the chamber at'each end, through pipes S T, beingalternately admitted through one and cut oil from the other, and viceversa, and exhausting from said chambers back again through the saidpipes when thelive steam is out off, and escaping at the small holes Uat the bottom of Q, shown dotted in Figs. 1 and 2. The opening andclosing of these passages is eiiected by the oscillating plug or cock W,worked by the lever X, and

this lever is thrown to the left by the doublecranked rod Y of float Z,and to the right by the similar rod on of float b, said rods workingthrough stufling-boxes in the case, and being suitably-shaped andarranged to act on the pin The valve in steam-chest L is operated cl ofthe lever X as soon as the chambers containin g the float are filled,and the float raised to throw the lever to out 0d the steam from thechamber being emptied,while the other is filling, and admit it to thefilled one. For example, when the chamber 0 is bcin g filled with waterthe lever will be in such position as to admit steam-say to the right ofthe pistonvalve in chest L, and the said valve will be shifted to theleft, so as to admit live steam to chamber B for forcing the water out,and to open the exhaust from G 5 the parts will remain in this positionuntil the water rises in G suflicientl y to cause float b to turn andthrow the valvelever X to the right; this will shut off steam from B andadmit it to O, at the same time opening the exhaust from B and closingit from O, and when the water has been forced out of G, and B has becomefilled, the lever X will be shifted back to the place of beginning, orthe position represented in the drawing. This lever X is weighted, so asto fall quickly, after it passes the verticalline, to insure thecomplete movement of the valve or cook. Water is admitted from the tankH to the condensing-chambers, for condensing the steam remaining afterthe exhaust, when the pressure of steam has fallen in said cylinders toone atmosphere, or thereabout, through the small tubes g, which have asprinkler, h, to distribute it at the entrance to said chambers; andsaid tubes have a valve, 2', to admit the water, but prevent the escapeof steam when the water falls below the tubes. These tubes are madesmall, so that they will not admit any considerable amount of waterwhile the chambersar'e filling, as the valves in them are liable to bekept open by the constant pressure in tank H. The pipes G are extendedto the bottoms of the chambers, which are depressed under them toprevent the escape of steam, and they have check-valves l to prevent thewater from being forced back into them. The suction-pipes havesprinkling-extensions m, and they are introduced in an elevated part ofthe case to discharge into the partially-condensed steam and completethe condensation, the water entering from tank H being only intended tocondense the steam enough to cause the water to be set in motion in thesuction-pipes, which will then enter and condense the steam remaining.

I place a weighted valve, n, in chamber 1), through which the waterescapes, to maintain at all times suflicient pressure, say three or fourpounds, to eject water into the condenser.

In setting the engine in motion the tank H is filled by hand, and thelever X is also turned by hand until the airis expelled from thecondensers and suction-pipes and they become filled, after which theengine will continue automatically. The steam passes, in thisarrangement, by its own pressure through the exhaust-pipe,condenser-valve, and hot well, until the valve G closes and theremaining steam is condensed in G, from which the water will beconducted by the next exhaust to e the hot well, from which it may bepumped the escape-pipe and injecting-pipes g, withvalves therein, alloperating substantially as specified.

2. The arrangement, with the piston-valve and steam-chest L, of thevalve 0 W, weighted lever X, floats, and the cranked rod there of, allsubstantially as specified.

' JAMES W. XVHITAKER.

Witnesses AARON SHUPE, JACOB VOLLMER.

